For the One I Love
by anardentauthor
Summary: Even after she was abandoned by Sasuke, Sakura can't let go of her feelings for the man. Hinata risked her life out of love for Naruto, but it seems to have only made things worse. But they haven't given up hope: "I will get stronger...for him." SS/NH
1. Hinata's Prologue

**A/N: **This is my first story I've written in a long time. I wanted to write about my two favorite female characters, Sakura and Hinata, so I came up with this. I hope you'll enjoy it.

The story will be divided into different sections that each center one character. Since Hinata is my very favorite character, I decided to make her's first.

**(Hinata`s Prologue)**

The sun glows warmly on a bright, joyful afternoon. Birds are chirping

merrily, traveling together without a care in the world. After a long,

tumultuous struggle, the Land of Fire is finally at peace-or so it seems.

But for one girl, the sun does not shine; the birds' songs fall on deaf

ears. There is no happiness or light, only sorrow and regret. Deep inside a

meadow appearing to be deserted, a young girl, close to exhaustion, pushes

herself further than she ever has pushed herself before. Why is she doing this

to herself? She is in love. One boy is her passion, her drive; she will never

give up until she is sure that she has reached her goal: strength.

Hinata Hyuga staggered over to a tree and propped herself upon it, no longer

able to stand on her own. She had been training by herself for several hours

straight, though, to her, nothing had changed. So she took this short time to

rest. Once the feeling of pain returned to her legs (for before she could feel

nothing at all), she slowly stood up and returned to her target: a small piece

of wood.

Hinata had been training rigorously like this ever since the day she tried

to protect Naruto, the boy whom she loved, and was quickly disposed of. She

made a promise to herself that she would become stronger so that one day she

could truly protect Naruto from anything and anyone.

That promise echoed throughout her mind and filled her whole existence: "I

will get stronger. I will get stronger...for him."


	2. Sakura's Prologue

**A/N:** This is Sakura's introduction. The first chapter should be up soon. I forgot to mention that this story has spoilers for chapters 437+, so I'm really sorry if you were spoiled.

**(Sakura`s Prologue)**

Beneath the darkening sky, two birds fly together in complete

synchronization, moving as if they are one, united in body and mind. A forlorn

girl witnesses this sight, which only further saddens her.

She longed to be with a companion, just as were the birds. What pained her most

was that she already had a companion; a friend who had always been with her.

The only problem was that she did not want him as he wanted her. He would always

be ready for the moment she realized how much he meant to her. But she already

had...it just wasn't the way he wanted. She wanted with all her might to reciprocate

his love - after all he had been through he deserved it - but she could not, for

her heart belonged to another.

Sakura Haruno stared into the deep, dark sky through her bedroom window,

grasping her most beloved photo with all of her might. The photograph of Team

Seven: Naruto, Sasuke, and herself. _Naruto..._

Naruto had done so much for her. He had comforted her when no one else could; he

had been there for her countless times. She wanted more than anything to repay

her debt to him, but when the time came, she was not able to kill Sasuke Uchiha.

Part of the reason for this was her feelings for Sasuke. Even after Sasuke

had abandoned her, spurned her affections, and even tried to kill her, she could

not let go of her love for this man. She clung blindly to the hope that someday

she and Naruto would be able to bring Sasuke back home.

She silently ridiculed herself. She needed to stop thinking like a child: in

the real world, hope didn't exist: only reality. And in order to make her dream

a reality, she would need to, once again, take matters in her own hands. Only

this time, she would be strong enough to face Sasuke and bring him back.

This she promised herself.


	3. Memories

**A/N: **I wanted the opening chapter to be Sakura-centric, since her feelings are a bit more complex. It's mostly paraphrasing Sakura's prologue, though...I didn't mean for it to be when I wrote it, but that's the way it turned out...

Thank you for the people who have reviewed my story thus far. I appreciate the encouragement. :)

**Chapter One: **

**Memories**

Sakura Haruno was awakened late Saturday morning by a precarious batch of sunlight peeking through her window. She squinted her eyes and rolled over, trying to fall asleep again. After her futile attempt she surrendered the thought of slumber. She moaned, opened her eyes slowly, and found herself face-to-face with her most prized possession: a photograph of Squad 7 taken three years ago.

There was her sensei, Kakashi, looking quite photogenic despite three-fourths of his face being covered up. Naruto, her teammate who she had once hated but was now close to, had an angry look on his face, glaring at his fellow team member on the far left. Sakura, in the middle, had a genuine smile on her face, happy to be beside Sasuke and optimistic for the future. And lastly, there was Sasuke, glaring past Sakura at the orange-clad ninja with an equal look of abhorrence. _Sasuke. Sasuke…_

Without warning Sakura felt herself tearing up. She began to sob as she recalled memories of a few weeks prior-the memories of Team 7's brief, painful reunion. She would never forget the conflict that had torn her inside—Naruto or Sasuke?—and she would never erase the look of murderous intent that was in Sasuke's eyes as he saw her as a threat and tried to kill her.

What had happened? Just a few years ago Sasuke was her comrade, and suddenly he was an enemy who couldn't trust or be trusted. _Sasuke. Sasuke…_

The tears were falling fast now, and Sakura realized that this pitiful behavior had to stop. She had to take matters into her own hands.

She looked towards the sky. It was a beautiful and inviting shade of blue. When Sakura saw the sun shining high with a bright optimism, she began to form an idea.


	4. Drive

**A/N: **Sorry this is so short. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.

**Chapter 2: Drive**

The sun shone brightly n a peaceful blue sky. In the forest, a gentle breeze slowly rocked trees back and forth in a rhythmic motion. Other than the melodic chirping of birds, all of Konoha was filled with a serene silence.

"Hyah!" With a burst of speed, Hinata Hyuga let out a fierce cry, breaking the silence as she attacked her target, a tree. With an ear-splitting crack, the trunk began to split in half and fell to the ground, causing the ground to shake. Hinata, exhausted, made no attempt to stablize herself and fell to the ground. Despite this, she smiled; it had only taken three times with her _Juho Soshiken,_ Twin Lion Fists, to break the tree, whereas two days ago it had taken at least ten attacks. Despite the slow rate of which she was improving, she _was_ getting better.

Several times she had been tempted to stop her training, but every time she felt the sensation of quitting she thought of Naruto. He saw everything to the end and never gave up: Hinata decided she wouldn't, either.

Despite her hardened resolve, she granted herself a short time to rest. After all, she had been training nonstop since the middle of the night, and was on the verge of passing out. She crawled over to a nearby tree (there were still many that she hadn't broken during training) and propped herself upon it. Hinata sighed and closed her eyes, turning her head toward the sunlight. She realized the peacefulness of the forest around her and began to drift into a welcome repose.

After several long moments of peaceful slumber, Hinata heard a single voice in the distance calling her name:

_"Hinata!"_


	5. Plans

**A/N**: I'm sorry it took such a long time for me to update this. I know the chapter is short, but the next one will be longer, I promise.

**Chapter 3: Plans**

Hinata blinked twice and began to stand, using the tree for support. "Hinata!" The voice called her name loudly, but with a kind tone. It belonged to a female and as a pink figure appeared in the distance Hinata realized that the mysterious person calling her was Sakura Haruno, the sole female member of Squad 7. "I've been looking all over for you," Sakura said, her happy look suddenly replaced with one of appalled confusion. "You look…like you've been training," she said slowly. "Y-yes," Hinata said, embarrassed. She had never thought of her appearance before now, but she was sure she looked very unkempt after hours of rigorous exercise. "I'm sorry, you've caught me at a bad time," she said politely. "I've been out here since yesterday night and…" she trailed off as she saw her fellow kunoichi surveying the forest in awe. "Wow," Sakura murmured. Hinata had never stopped to look at what she had been doing, but she realized that she had destroyed a rather large section of the forest in which she was training in.

"Did you do all this?" Sakura asked in amazement. "Yes, but I didn't realize how much damage I've done to the area. I'll have to plant some new seeds, I guess," she laughed with a hint of ruefulness. "Nah, this forest is so big I'm sure no one would care," Sakura said. Despite the calm expression she displayed to Hinata, she had an entirely different mindset. She stared at Hinata for a few moments, who had clasped her hands and looked down in embarrassment. She furrowed her brow. _"I thought Hinata was really weak…but if anyone's improved in the last few years, I think it's her. And here I thought I was the one who had changed the most. Still…maybe we can help each other."_

"Um…Sakura?" The pink-haired kunoichi's thoughts were interrupted by Hinata's quiet voice. "I don't mean to be rude, but why have you come here? Do you need to use this space, because I can-" "No, no," Sakura cut her off. "Actually, I was hoping to talk with you." "O-oh," Hinata said, surprised. "Can you meet me at the tea shop in about an hour?" Sakura asked. "Sure," Hinata said, a hint of inquisition in her voice. "Great! I'll see you soon," Sakura said with a smile as she began to walk towards the village.

Hinata gathered her supplies and was soon on her way home. She wasn't sure what Sakura wanted to discuss, but she had the feeling that it was very important.


	6. A Chat

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's a little longer than the others. The next one will probably be this length, too.**

Chapter 4

Sakura Haruno sat at a small table inside the tea shop, impatiently tapping her foot. The person she was waiting for wasn't late—rather, Sakura was simply early, and moving helped release some of the nervousness that she felt. She didn't exactly understand why she was so worried: Hinata was the most gentle and kind person in the whole village. Yet she was afraid of how Hinata would think of her, due to the recent events that had conspired.

A few weeks ago, before Sakura was reunited with Sasuke, she had "confessed" to Naruto that she loved him. What she told him wasn't true, but she was willing to say anything to get him to stop chasing after Sasuke. Even though Hinata didn't know about this Sakura felt very guilty and knew that she would feel even worse in the presence of someone who actually did love Naruto.

Sakura ordered two cups of tea and had drunk half of hers by the time Hinata appeared. She, unlike Sakura, was not dressed in her usual clothes: she was adorned in casual navy pants and dark green jacket, and even Sakura, a girl, had to admit Hinata's beauty. _"I wonder if Naruto notices…"_ she thought to herself, not out of jealousy, but out of support for Hinata's feelings.

"Am I late? I-I'm sorry!" Hinata bowed as she apologized. "No," Sakura laughed, "I was just early. Have a seat." Hinata sat down, thanked her for the tea, and the two girls began to chat.

After several minutes of idle conversation, a troubled look appeared on Hinata's face. "So…what you wanted to talk to me about…is something wrong with Naruto?" She asked. Without meaning to, Sakura laughed: Hinata was almost as concerned about Naruto as she was! "You're so sweet, Hinata," she said. "Naruto's fine, but don't worry-what I wanted to ask you has nothing to do with Naruto!" Sakura paused. "…Well, actually it does." She sighed. "Hinata." Sakura looked into Hinata's white-blue eyes with a serious expression. "Naruto means a lot to me. I would do just about anything for him." Hinata's expression changed to a nervous, slightly defensive expression, but Sakura just smiled at her, knowing what she just said may have implied and attempted to further explain. "I used to hate him, but now I really care about him. You could even say I love him." As Hinata's expression began to change, Sakura blushed. "N-not like that! Just as a really good friend." That was the truth: Sakura didn't reciprocate Naruto's romantic feelings for her, but she shared his concern for one another. "Anyway," she regained her composure, "I want to help him any way I can. And I want to help Sasuke, too. So not too long ago I tried to kill Sasuke—partly for Naruto, and partly to save Sasuke from himself—but I couldn't do it, and if it wasn't for Naruto, I'd be dead, now. So the point of all this is…" Sakura closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She opened them once again: now they shined with intensity. "I need to be able to help Naruto bring Sasuke back, so that he can finally be in peace. I need to get Sasuke back so that someday…maybe we can…" she paused and felt tears appear in her eyes. She blinked them back. "…_be together._ I still love him, and I would do anything to help him. But it's become evident that I'm not powerful enough to help either of them yet. I need to get stronger for Naruto, and for Sasuke." Sakura turned to Hinata. "And I know that you need to get stronger for Naruto." "Yes," Hinata said, her eyes gleaming with a rarely-seen confidence. "So that I can help him, too."

Sakura smiled. "Since we pretty much want to help the same people, I thought that we could train together, so that someday soon we'll be able to help Naruto and Sasuke." Hinata looked amazed. "You…want to train with…_me_?" Hinata couldn't believe it. Sakura, one of the strongest ninja in her village, wanted to train with her! After she overcame her initial shock, she grinned. "That sounds wonderful." Sakura returned her smile. "Great. Then I'll meet you at the training grounds, tomorrow."

As they bade each other goodbye, both women had the same thought: _"This is just the opportunity I need._"

At opposite ends of the village, the girls mirrored each other.

"_Naruto,"_ Hinata thought.

_"Sasuke,"_ Sakura whispered.

"I will get stronger…_for you."_


	7. Remembering

**A/N** Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been on vacation for a while.

This chapter is the result of my desire to write about about episode 166. I know it's a little old now, but...

I'll update again, soon. Please let me know how I can improve this.

Chapter 5

_The sickening scent of blood surrounded the air as Hinata approached the menacing scene of Naruto's battle. The thought of protecting her beloved was what drove her to attempt her first attack at Pain; she leapt in the air and struck with all of her might, though Pain effortlessly dodged her blow. Before approaching the villain, Hinata glanced at Naruto. Large poles (Hinata wasn't sure what they were,) were forced deep into Naruto's arms and legs. "How cruel," she thought with a shudder, "to restrict his movements like this." She turned towards Pain, a look of deep abhorrence etched within her face. "I won't let you hurt Naruto anymore!" She declared vehemently. "Reinforcements?" Pain asked apathetically. Hinata said nothing and glared at him, her eyes filled with hatred._

_Naruto's confused, frantic voice broke the silence. "Why'd you come out here? Get out of here! You're no match-" "I know," Hinata interrupted him with a curt nod. She hesitated for a moment, thinking of the best way to explain her sudden rashness. "I'm just…being selfish," she said slowly. "What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, his voice filled with irritation. "Don't put yourself in danger like this!"_

_Hinata felt tears come to her eyes. She was touched at Naruto's concern. All the same, she knew what she had to do._

_"I'm here because I want to be," she explained. "This time," she said, her voice filled with determination, "I'm going to save you, Naruto." _

_She heard Naruto gasp, but did not turn around to view his expression. She continued her explanation. _

_"I was always crying and giving up before even trying. I took the wrong path so many times…" she trailed off as she felt a smile approach her lips. She thought of the countless times Naruto's persistence had inspired her. _

_"But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto." She found herself thinking of the Chunin Exams, where, thanks to Naruto's encouragement, she had done better than even she could have imagined. "I was always chasing after you, wanting to catch up." She felt a blush creep to her cheeks. "I wanted to walk with you, to be with you. I want to be by your side, always." _

_No matter what happened to him, Naruto always greeted every challenge with a smile and did the best he could. His incredible, determined nature had encouraged her to try her best. "You changed me, Naruto!" She thought of the many times he had spoken with her; his smile was always filled with joy and passion. "Your smile saved me!" Hinata said._

_She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then gave Pain her fiercest look; a strength and courage that she had never felt before suddenly overtook her as she spoke. "That's why I'm not afraid to die if it means I can protect you."_

_Hinata felt a warmth envelop her as she smiled. Her mouth seemed to move on its own; it was being controlled by her heart. "…because I love you, Naruto!" _

_Her smile turned into a grimace as she faced Pain and took her fighting stance. Pain said nothing, but Hinata noticed as a black blade slid from beneath his sleeve. He continued to look at her, perhaps to evaluate her strength, and Hinata activated her Byakugan. _

_For several moments all was still, then in a sudden, strong movement, Hinata let out a fierce cry and performed a sweep kick, partially breaking one of the rods in Naruto's leg. Pain and Naruto were equally amazed by her feat. In another quick motion, she began to kick the second rod when she felt an overwhelmingly painful sensation and found herself propelled several feet away from the person she was desperately trying to defend. She let out a cry of pain and toppled to the ground. She felt blood dripping from her mouth, but quickly wiped it away and gave Pain a menacing glare. She turned her attention to Naruto and ran toward him, but before she could even begin to strike she was once again pushed away by Pain's jutsu. This time she was hit even harder and thrown in the air before landing on her side, still rolling from the impact. "Hinata!" Naruto screamed. _

_Sharp pain ran through Hinata's body, but she forced herself up and glanced toward Naruto, who was now behind Pain. She narrowed her eyes and straightened her back. She put her hands in front of her, then chambered them, focusing all of her chakra into her fists. Blue chakra began to swirl around her hands. She felt an even sharper pain but braced herself and continued to focus her chakra. "I can't let it end like this," she thought. "If there's even the slightest chance…" _

_She leaned forward. "Juho Soshiken!" She cried as she charged toward Pain. Hinata began to swing her fists; the blue chakra took the shape of a lion and moved in time with her strikes, strengthening them. He seemed to doge every one effortlessly, but she wouldn't give up and continued her attempt to hit him. In a sudden movement, he raised his arm as if to counterattack, and let his guard down for one moment. _

_In a swift motion she landed a hit directly on his face. He immediately recoiled. "Now's my chance!" Hinata thought as she turned towards Naruto. With all of her chakra still focused in her fists, she hit the half-broken rod in Naruto's leg and broke it completely. She raised her right arm and aimed for the second rod in his leg, but felt the familiar and painful sensation of Pain's jutsu as she was thrust over fifty in the air. "Hinata!" Naruto screamed again as she fell to the ground and the world was swallowed into blackness. _

_"Hinata!"_

_Hinata heard a faint voice calling her name. The voice possessed a panicked sadness, unlike anything she had heard before._

_"Hinata!"_

_The voice was familiar…it belonged to Naruto! What had caused him to sound so distressed?_

_"Hinata!"_

_She opened her eyes and the scene before her came into focus: a long way from her, Naruto was on the ground, several rods stuck throughout his body. And that was when she remembered: Naruto needed her!_

_"Hinata!"_

_She realized that she was in pain; it felt as if every part of her body were on fire. _

_"Hinata!"_

_It didn't matter if she was in pain. She had to get up-__**Naruto needed her!**_

_She attempted to push herself up but the pain was too much to bear and she was unable to support her weight. Despite the unbearable pain she pushed herself and after much struggle she was on her feet. It took nearly all she had to stand, yet in her current position she was far away from Naruto. She stumbled towards him, ignoring the pain, her only thoughts consisting of Naruto's safety. _

_Pain watched her struggling, his face nonchalant. Hinata ignored the constant pain throughout her body and continued, though at some point her body gave out and she felt herself collapse. She began a nearly futile attempt to stand, but she could not get on her feet. _

_She saw an alien look in Naruto's eyes, and although she couldn't detect what it was, it left an impression on her and inspired her to keep trying. After several more moments of struggling, Naruto looked down and spoke softly. _

_"Don't come, Hinata."_

_His words ignited something inside her and she was suddenly walking, again. She remembered all that he had done for her—whether or not he realized it—and it was what made her continue to move. She remembered a particular series of words he had said that touched her more than any others: "You know, I used to think you were dark, boring, and weird, but I think I like people like you." _

_People like her…_

_What exactly did he mean by that? _

_Suddenly Hinata realized that she was only a few feet away from Naruto. _

_She was almost there…! _

_Without warning, she felt herself collapse. She didn't think it was possible, but the pain in her legs increased and she realized that she could no longer use them. But she couldn't give up._

_With a desperate cry, she used the last of her strength to crawl to Naruto. His expression had become one of sadness; Hinata couldn't bear the sadness in his eyes. She was so close to him, now. Just a little bit further and she could save him, save him from the sadness, the darkness._

_"I don't understand," Pain said, a hint of inquisition in his monotone voice as she was inches from Naruto. "Why would someone so weak try to resist?" He asked as Hinata, shaking, used the last of her power to lean forward. She placed her hands on the rod that bore into Naruto's hands. "Why fight me…knowing that you're going to die?" Pain asked her. _

_Hinata tried to pull the rod from Naruto, even though she knew it was hopeless. She opened her mouth and repeated Naruto's words that had touched her so much; the words that she had lived by. "I stand by what I say." With the last of her strength, she looked up at Naruto, and, despite all the pain and suffering, she smiled. "Because that's…my ninja way." _

_She felt herself being lifted from the ground, then everything went black._

A scream pierced through the blackness of night as Hinata Hyuga awoke, her body covered in sweat. It was the first time she had dreamt of the haunting events that happened two months prior. The battle-if it could be called a battle-between her and Pain was what had inspired her to train so hard. She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes.

When she awoke the next morning, she was looking forward to training with Sakura. The dream had further increased her determination to succeed.


End file.
